This invention relates to vehicle security systems, and more particularly to an electronic vehicle security system with remote control for performing various functions.
Vehicle security systems employ sensors to detect intrusion attempts. Typically, any combination of four types of sensors are used with a vehicle security system, vibration and/or impact sensors, microwave sensors, glass breakage sensors and ultrasonic sensors. Any of these sensor types may have more than a single detection zone, however their common shortcoming is that the sensitivity of each sensor is set only by the installer. Yet subsequent to the last sensitivity setting, various conditions such as continuous vibrations caused by the vehicle""s motion or changes in the outside temperature will cause the last setting to change. What is more, even if there was no setting change over a time period, the setting last selected by the installer at the installing location may be inappropriate when the vehicle is parked in a high traffic road or a multi-story parking facility and consequently may cause false alarms. When experiencing repeated false alarms, the owner will either turn off the alarm and thereby leave the vehicle vulnerable to thieves, or else will be inconvenienced by going back to the installing dealer for re-adjustment of the sensor. But even going back to the installing dealer provides no assurances whatsoever that the re-adjustment even if done properly at the dealer""s location will be effective for all future parking locations, roads, traffic and weather conditions. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a security system that allows any owner, even the one with absolutely no technical interest or aptitude to adjust the sensor""s sensitivity any place, anytime, without tools and without even knowing where the sensor is installed in the vehicle.
It is known that vehicle security systems may have one or more programmable features, and in fact many systems may have as many as thirty different programmable features, which the user is able to enable or disable. Frequently, while performing the programming of a specific feature, owners and installers become confused and inadvertently miss-program various functions which subsequently cause what appears to be a malfunction of the system. Yet there is no easy way for re-establishing the programmable features to a known condition. It would be useful to have a solution that enables the owner to return the programmable features to a known state with just a simple step.
Many vehicle security systems utilize audible alarm xe2x80x9cchirpingxe2x80x9d and flashing of the vehicle parking lights to confirm remote arming and disarming. This chirping sound is particularly objectionable at night in a residential neighborhood. Consequently many owners disable the audible chirping, which leaves the flashing lights to provide a visual indication of the arming and disarming function. During daylight conditions, and particularly in high ambient light conditions, it can be difficult to see the light flashing, so that the owner may not be able to confirm the arming/disarming.
Many vehicles are equipped with automatic door locking and unlocking systems which lock the vehicle doors as soon as the driver turns the ignition key xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d and unlock the doors when the key is xe2x80x9coff.xe2x80x9d In the event of a collision, the door can remain locked, delaying the driver and passengers from exiting the vehicle. This delay could be critical particularly in case of fire.
Another disadvantage of conventional vehicle security systems is that, when the owner leaves the vehicle unattended for over a week, the power consumed by the flashing LED, though seemingly minute (typically 5-15 ma), may over time cause the vehicle battery to be depleted to a low charge level that will prevent the owner from starting the engine. It would be clearly an advantage to provide a solution to the problem of long term battery loading due to the LED activation.
Presently, various manufacturers of vehicles have different door locking polarity, i.e. the signal polarity for locking and unlocking the doors may be either positive or negative, depending on the vehicle. When installing a vehicle security system that has door locking/unlocking outputs but no onboard relays, it may be difficult to the installer to match his security system door polarity to that of the vehicle. Consequently there is a need in the art for a security system with a programmable door locking and unlocking polarity.
In the conventional vehicle security system, a remote panic feature is provided. When the vehicle owner presses a panic button on the remote control transmitter, it activates the security system siren to call attention from passersby. It would represent an advance in the art to provide added personal security measures taken upon actuation of the remote control panic button.
A multifunction vehicle security system is described, which includes at least one receiver connected to a control unit which processes received information and enables various functions. The information may be transmitted via either a remote control transmitter, a pager, an electronically coded key, or a switch. The vehicle security system offers both user and installer programmable features which substantially improve over known system the performance, reliability, accuracy and ease of installation, and ease of user interface.
According to one aspect of the invention, improved user programmability of the system""s sensor is provided. The owner or user can increase or decrease the sensor""s sensitivity any place or any time without tools and without even knowing where in the vehicle the sensor is mounted. To adjust the sensitivity, the user merely presses a button on the remote control to increase the sensor sensitivity, and another button to decrease the sensitivity. Each time the sensitivity level is changed, the user receives an audible and/or visual acknowledgement. An alternate embodiment utilizes only one remote control button to both increase and decrease the sensitivity. By pressing the remote control button controlling the sensitivity, the sensitivity level will be stepped through the various sensitivity stages.
According to another aspect of the invention, a special programming mode is provided to reset the system programmable features and values to factory settings, i.e. to quickly re-establish to a known state for either all or only preselected features. For some applications, the resetting will delete all the stored remote control codes to which the system will respond as valid codes. For other applications, the one-step resetting will reset only user-programmable features other than the remote control codes.
A further feature of this invention is the automatic silencing during night conditions of the system""s arming/disarming chirping to confirm the change of system state. In the preferred embodiment, a photodetector mounted in the vehicle provides a signal used to disable the chirping at night. This feature can be enabled or disabled by the owner at any time. While enabled, the owner receives the arming and disarming information visually via the flashing of the parking lights.
To provide an increased level of safety, the security system generates a door unlocking command to the vehicle""s power door locking system to unlock the doors in the event of a vehicle collision. This can be particularly useful on vehicles which are equipped with automatic door locking when the driver starts the engine or when the vehicle is in motion. An impact sensor, air bag actuator, or monitoring of engine status can be used to sense the collision or its effects, and trigger the automatic door unlocking command.
A further feature is to provide a theft warning LED energy management system, to conserve battery power when the vehicle is left unattended for long periods of time. When the system is armed, a timer is started, and upon expiration of a time period, the LED activation duty cycle will be reduced from an initial duty cycle. If the security system still has not been disarmed after expiration of a further time period, the duty cycle will be reduced still further to reduce the power consumption even more.
To aid in installation of the security system, the polarity of the door locking and unlocking signals is programmable. This enables the installer to match the polarity requirements of a particular vehicle.
An enhanced panic mode is also provided. Rather than responding to a panic mode command by simply sounding the alarm siren, the security system will also automatically unlock the vehicle doors if the vehicle ignition switch is off, to facilitate the owner""s entry into the vehicle. If on the other hand, the vehicle ignition switch is on, the doors will be automatically locked, to prevent unwanted entry into the vehicle while the owner is inside.
Yet another aspect of this invention is the installer programmability of the normally open/closed mode for the vehicle starter, ignition, and/or fuel pump disable relays.